(Big) screen on!

Would you pay $12.50 to see an old TV show projected on a movie screen?

Edward F. Maroney

Would you pay $12.50 to see an old TV show projected on a movie screen?

What if it were the only two-part Star Trek episode, an intriguing amalgam of the 1960s science fiction series' original pilot and later footage?

Now that we've mostly cleared the room, this is for you Trekkers and Trekkies. On Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m., Regal Cinemas at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis will be one of the "downlinks" for a nationwide theatrical showing of "The Menagerie."

This is basically a promotional ploy to get the word out that the first of the Star Trek series has been digitally remastered in High-Definition and Cinema Surround Sound. So toss those boxed collections and get in line to buy the 80 episodes all over again!

"The Menagerie" includes a healthy portion of "The Cage," the pilot episode that made NBC nervous because it was "too cerebral," featured a multiracial cast, and included a pointy-eared alien and a no-nonsense woman as second in command.

Movie star Jeffrey Hunter, he of the piercing eyes, played Capt. Christopher Pike, predecessor to William Shatner's Capt. Kirk.

Pike's "Number One," known only by that name, was cut from the show, but actress Majel Barrett donned a Marie Antoinette wig and became Nurse Chapel, the simpering seeker of Spock, the aforesaid pointy-eared alien.

The Nov. 13 showing includes a message from Rod Rodenberry, the son of Barrett and series creator Gene Rodenberry, and a documentary on the HD-izaton of the original series.